Honor's Price
by Spunky0ne
Summary: After the quincy war, a Kuchiki elder, Byakuya and Aizen are chosen to be offered up as sacrifices for their failure to protect the fallen king. But Kisuke has other plan and directs a plan to unmask the hidden enemy that is manipulating all of them...yaoi, mpreg...Aizen/Byakuya, Ichigo/Tetsuya, Grimmjow/Uryu
1. Condemnation

**Honor's Price**

**By Spunky0ne**

**Chapter 1: Condemnation**

An odd hush had fallen of the streets of the Seireitei as groups from each of the noble houses made a solemn parade from the wreckage of their homes to the damaged Central 46 compound. In formal dress and with their heads dutifully bowed, they passed through the streets, all too aware of the rows of shattered buildings, cracked roadways and splashes of dried blood that told the story of the violence of the war that had just taken place.

Byakuya Kuchiki sat silently astride a handsome paint stallion, while a tall, black Arabian walked quietly on his right, bearing Rukia, who sat just in front of a male cousin, all of them painfully aware of the dread seriousness of what was taking place. They rode at the head of a group of family elders, going to answer for their failure to defend the soul king.

One by one, the groups reached the Central 46 compound, then passed across the rebuilt bridge of the heavily fortified door. Each group was searched and identified, then allowed to pass inside, where they proceeded to the main meeting chamber and took their places in the gallery in front of the gathered sages. After the last had filed in, the remaining captains, followed by the top ten seats of each division entered the room and moved to a section to the right of them. Curious whispers filled the room as the door to the chamber opened again and Sousuke Aizen was wheeled into the room and placed amongst guards, near the Gotei members. When all had taken their places, the grand councilor stood and pounded his gavel to bring the group to order.

"Lords and ladies," Daisuke Oshiro greeted them in a low, serious tone, "Now that the war with the quincies has ended and we have begun to rebuild, it is time to reflect on the seriousness of what has happened. All of us here understand both the privilege given to us as his majesty's noble families and the solemn duty we have to defend the one who safeguards all that we are, and all that we have. And in those times when our gracious lord is threatened, it is our singular duty to stand in the path of whatever foulness approaches, to make certain that it never reaches him. All of us are aware that we have failed in this. Reiou has fallen, and although an heir has risen to follow him, there is something to be paid for the damage inflicted on the royal family."

Daisuke paused, his aged grey eyes sweeping over the gathered men and women.

"To decide how best to pay our debt to his majesty, the sages within this compound sought the oldest known records that describe a few similar situations in our history and prescribe that the following action be taken."

He paused again, looking down at the papers in front of him and taking a steadying breath before continuing.

"For the crime of allowing harm to come to his majesty, it is ordered that the following actions be taken. From the ranks of the Gotei 13, one captain or top ten seated officer will be chosen, from among the gathered sages, one also will be chosen. A final one from among the gathered noble families will too be chosen, and on the shoulders of these three will rest the duty to travel to the royal realm and to offer their lives as payment to the former king."

He was forced to stop again as a worried rumble went through the room.

"I understand your feelings," Daisuke assured them, "I, too, am at risk of being chosen. All of us share in that. But it is the belief of this court that we have a duty to offer something it will pain us to lose, to show our mortification at failing our monarch so badly. Only a powerful sacrifice like this will remind us that when we do not act in ways befitting of who we are and that causes the loss of our king and the threat to our very way of life, there must be justice."

Daisuke glanced to his right, where the council's recorder sat.

"Fumio, if you will read the selections."

The thin, hawkish, green-eyed recorder stood and cleared his throat.

"To make the necessary choices, we, the Central 46 councilors have fed into the computers, the names of all active captains, the full list of our surviving sages and a roster of all surviving members of the noble families who are eighteen or older. The central computer randomized each set of names and yielded the following result. The noble sage to be sacrificed is…the elder, Nori Kuchiki."

Fumio paused as a flurry of hisses and sounds of dismay sounded around the room. He glared at them disapprovingly, then continued.

"The noble family member chosen to be sacrificed is…Byakuya Kuchiki."

Shouts and louder sounds of disapproval erupted all around, and it took several minutes for the room to quiet again. Byakuya stiffened as his name was called, but maintained a calm expression, while on either side of him, Rukia and their cousin, Tetsuya, moved close to him protectively.

"Silence!" Daisuke snapped, slamming his gavel down several times, "We are all shocked, yes. This is a terrible responsibility, and it seems to have fallen hardest onto the Kuchiki clan. It only goes to prove that no one in our society is above the law. Nori and Byakuya Kuchiki have been chosen, and they will obey the order of this council! Now, there is one more to be called."

He glanced at Fumio and nodded.

"We are unfortunate in having a captain called as the chosen noble family sacrifice, and having two members of one family chosen as well. But that means, of course that the process for choosing lays the responsibility on us all, no matter how great and celebrated we might be," Fumio explained, "All of us will be held accountable. Now, the computer has generated the final choice, the choice for the seated officer to be sacrificed, and that officer is…Sousuke Aizen."

Chaos broke out in the room and it took several long minutes for the grand councilor to call the room back to order.

"This is ludicrous," Aizen said, glaring up at the grand councilor, "I gave up my place as a captain when I left Soul Society and became lord of Hueco Mundo. I am not subject to being chosen as a captain."

"You are wrong," Fumio said icily, "Remember that you were held accountable in this court as an acting captain, and your captaincy was never officially revoked…not here in this chamber, anyway. And…now that you have lost your immortality, you can be killed. I don't know about the rest of the people in this room, but I think it fitting that you, who directly threatened the king with your actions and weakened us before the quincy conflict began, making us more vulnerable, should be one to pay for the king's death."

"That," Aizen said with impressive calm in his voice, "is insane."

"Again, I understand your shock at who was chosen," Daisuke said, looking down at the gathering with regretful eyes, "Let me assure you, we went to great lengths to see that the choosing process was fair and favored no one. We were all vulnerable to choosing as well. We all shared the same risk. The council apologizes to the Kuchiki family, and in honor of their sacrifice will of course, allow them to replace their sage here, on the council, rather than allowing our group to choose his replacement in the normal way. This meeting is dismissed. Will the guards please escort the three chosen to the holding area?"

Byakuya turned and hugged Rukia tightly, squeezing her hand comfortingly as Tetsuya looked on with devastated eyes.

"Tetsuya, please take Rukia home," Byakuya said, meeting Tetsuya's gaze for a moment.

"No, don't make me go, Brother!" Rukia argued.

"I do not want you here to see this," Byakuya said firmly, "There is nothing you can do to change their minds. It is a council order. We have no power to contest it. You know that."

"I don't care about any of that!" Ichigo's voice broke in from behind Tetsuya, "They can't do this!"

"I am afraid they can," Byakuya corrected him, "And I do understand that they feel we owe something for not protecting the king."

"But that wasn't anyone's fault!" Tetsuya insisted, "All of us were taken by surprise when the quincies attacked and we all fought as hard as we could to protect the king and ourselves."

"Also," Ichigo went on, "I think it's really stupid to be throwing away powerful protectors when it will mean we have less to protect the king with if they are killed."

"They're right, Byakuya," Rukia agreed, "Please, please don't go!"

Byakuya placed his hands gently on his sister's shoulders, looking quietly into her eyes.

"I am naming Tetsuya interim leader, and I want you to help him look after the family. We are losing our clan leader and the head elder of our council. The family will be in chaos. You must hold them together. Please."

Tetsuya stiffened sharply, but noting the firm look in Byakuya's dark eyes, he forced a nod and slipped a supportive arm around Rukia. Byakuya gave him a look of gratitude.

"Thank you both," he said, flinching as the council guards positioned themselves around him and ordered the two to stand back, "I am sorry."

He closed his eyes, breathing slowly as his hands were bound behind his back, then walked calmly out of the chamber and down the hall to the holding area. The guards led him into a cell and closed and locked the door, leaving him alone alongside Nori Kuchiki and a quietly seething Sousuke Aizen.

"You realize what happened," Aizen said in a low voice, "The choices were tampered with. It's extremely clear this was not, in any way, random."

"I agree, the choices are suspicious," Nori answered, his aged blue eyes meeting Byakuya's worriedly, "While choosing Aizen as the captain to be sacrificed will void their obligation to free him for helping to kill Ywach, the choice of the two of us effectively places the Yoshida clan at the head of the noble families. They have been angling for that position for a very long time."

"And if they are accepted over us as greatest of the clans, that increases their presence on the council," Byakuya noted, "as well as making it unlikely that the Shiba clan, who now has Ichigo Shiba among its ranked members, from being reinstated. This is a carefully crafted assault on justice."

"If you see that," Aizen said angrily, "then why are you standing here? Shouldn't we be doing something to put an end to their maneuverings?"

"What are you suggesting we do?" Byakuya asked pointedly, "The guards have placed seals on our powers as we were led here. We have nothing to use to protect ourselves, and they will be back in a few minutes to begin preparing us for the trip to the royal realm."

"There is no way to appeal the decision," Nori added, "The word of the council is final, I am afraid. Anyone who defies it will only be added to the list of people they will have killed. I am afraid there is nothing we can do."

Aizen's lips curled with hatred.

"I think I didn't go far enough slaughtering the last council. This one is every bit as corrupt."

"You are a fine one to talk about corruption," Byakuya chided him, earning a dark, reproving look form his former colleague, "after what you did."

"So, you are just going to let yourselves be set up and killed?" Aizen asked, "You won't fight at all to save your lives?"

Byakuya and Nori exchanged solemn glances.

"We must leave the work of saving our lives in other hands," Byakuya said cryptically, "Believe me, there are those who will be fighting for us, even though we cannot fight for ourselves."

Aizen gave him an icy look.

"I assume I am not included in that?" he concluded dryly, "Fair enough then. I will simply come up with a way out for myself."

"How?" Nori asked in a critical tone, "You are powerless and still tied to a chair. You no longer have the hogyoku protecting your life. You are as helpless as we are."

Aizen gave the old man a knowing smirk.

"I have my ways," he assured Nori.

He turned a curious eye on Byakuya.

"Do you think that Kisuke Urahara will perhaps do something on your behalf?"

Byakuya paused, looking back at Aizen thoughtfully.

"Maybe," he concluded, "but you can be certain that he is not inclined to save a murderous beast like you."

"No, he wouldn't be inclined to do that," Aizen agreed, "unless it was the most sure way of protecting you two."

"And you think he will conclude that?" Byakuya asked mockingly, "I do not think he would ever depend on the likes of you."

"Unless there wasn't a better choice," Aizen reasoned, "And he does love to stand up for people Soul Society has treated unfairly. I think I like my chances."

"Then, does that mean that you will be quiet and leave us be?" Byakuya asked dismissively.

"For the moment," Aizen said quietly, the little smirk remaining on his lips.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What are we gonna do?" Ichigo asked urgently, "Kisuke, they're moving Byakuya and the others to the royal realm tomorrow!"

"Well, actually it will take a little longer than that," Kisuke explained, "Word's come down that the condemned will be taken around the districts of the Rukongai and honored first for their sacrifice. Then, they will ascend the grand staircase, because the tenchurrens were all destroyed in the war."

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, "I remember that damned long walk back. Whatever, we need to stop this from happening."

"I'm working on that," Kisuke said, nodding, "I've already talked to Tetsuya and because he's the interim leader, he has access to the Kuchiki archive. He's going to be looking for any diplomatic angles we can use to try to stop this."

"Not that that's likely to work," Ichigo sighed, "Central 46 is pretty anal about these things. I mean, technically, Rukia is still guilty of giving her powers to me and sentenced to die. They just aren't acting on it."

"Yeah, those guys aren't the nicest people," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "I don't agree with Aizen killing the former council, but I do understand his frustration."

Ichigo scowled.

"Aizen's a horrible person, but I don't think even he deserves this. He didn't have to help us beat Ywach. In fact, Ywach offered him plenty to go along with him. As awful as he was, he didn't give Ywach what would have been the power to defeat even me, in the end. He came down on our side, and I'm not going to forget that."

"Right," Kisuke agreed, "Me either. We'll work on this. We will. Now, I want you to go and see if you can give Tetsuya a hand. I'm sure he knows the archive well, having been so close to Byakuya for all of these years, but he may need some help."

"I'll go now," Ichigo agreed.

"I will be here, checking my references and gathering some people I think will be useful," Kisuke explained, "As soon as you and Tetsuya find anything, I want you to get the information to me immediately."

"We will," Ichigo promised, "Hey, Kisuke, I think you should be careful. You know, if it's like we think and the results of the choosing were tampered with, then whoever did that would probably expect what we're doing. Don't you think?"

"Yeah," Kisuke agreed, "That's another reason I want you close to Tetsuya. Someone's making a really nasty power play and the Kuchiki clan is in a vulnerable position. If Tetsuya goes down, then it will be the last straw. Things will fall completely apart."

"Which is just what whoever did this probably wants."

"Yeah, so I want you to get going. I'm well protected here. It's not likely that…"

The shopkeeper broke off as a strange rumble ran through the shop. He and Ichigo exchanged shocked glances, then broke and ran for the front of the shop, Kisuke calling out to Tessai and the two children who lived with them. The five shot out of the shop as the rumble grew to a roar and the shop suddenly exploded, sending a huge fireball into the sky and leaving the shop in a tangle of burning debris in front of them.

"Holy hell!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Yeah, they're not playing games," Kisuke concluded, "They are gunning for anyone who they think might stop this thing."

"We can't let them get away with this!" Ichigo snapped, "We have to stop them!"

Kisuke grabbed him suddenly by the shoulders.

"Ichigo," he said worriedly, "if someone was ballsy enough to attack me here, you can bet that they also have a plan for getting to Tetsuya. I want you to go back and find him. You've got to protect him or the Kuchiki clan and the rest of us are in a shitload of trouble!"

"I'm on it!" Ichigo shouted, flash stepping away.

He opened a senkaimon and proceeded at full speed towards the Seireitei, his sharp eyes scanning for signs of pursuit. He passed swiftly through the precipice world and raced out through the central senkaimon. Without hesitation, he ran on to the entrance to Kuchiki Manor, where the guards nodded, allowing him entrance. He followed Tetsuya's attendant into the house and to Byakuya's study, where the attendant had said the interim leader awaited him. Entering the room, the two skidded to a stop at the shocking sight that met them.

Tetsuya laid, collapsed on the floor, and as they moved forward to help him, the doors to the room slid shut and a foul smelling gas filled the room.

"What is this? What the hell? How did they…?"

Ichigo grabbed the attendant and drew his sword, aiming it at the door and firing a heavy blast, only to see it absorbed.

"What?" Ichigo mused, reeling, "What's…?"

The gas curled around them and Ichigo felt Tetsuya's attendant stiffen, then suddenly sag in his arms. His own mind spun as he tried to stagger to the door, then stumbled and collapsed just short of it.

A moment later, an inner door slid open, and two hooded figures entered the room and dragged Tetsuya and Ichigo out. They left the house attendant collapsed on the floor and carried their unconscious captives quietly away.


	2. Chaos Makers

**Chapter 2: Chaos Makers**

Tetsuya woke to a feeling of paralysis and a strange detachment from his body. Unsure of even such things as whether his eyes were open or closed, or if he was able to hear sound, he tried to struggle, but felt no movement or resistance. When he tried to call out, his voice refused to sound. He tried then to retreat into his inner world, but found that he was unable to do so.

_This is so strange. What has happened to me? The last thing I remember is Koji telling me that he would bring Ichigo to the study to meet with me._

_Ichigo! _

_I wonder what he will do when he knows I am gone. I don't know if he understands how my abduction will destabilize things. Always, Byakuya keeps the council in a careful balance. And to lose, not just him, but me as well, invites an inward collapse. I need to escape and get back quickly, otherwise we could end up in a clan war when we can least afford one._

"Tetsuya Kuchiki," hissed a distorted voice that seemed to echo in both ears at once, "Do not struggle. As long as you remain quiet and calm, no harm will come to you. I know you have many questions. Let me explain the things it is allowed for you to know."

Tetsuya tried again to move his mouth, only to find he still had no connection with it.

"Relax," the low voice said soothingly, "I have said that you won't be harmed. You are currently held in a stasis field that is preventing you from doing anything more than breathing and having a heartbeat. Your body is unable to move, but you have not been damaged in any way. Your powers have been sealed so that you have no means of attack or defense. You are completely helpless. I am sure that if you could ask, you would inquire about why we have made you our prisoner. What do we want? What can we gain from doing this? The answer is simple. You are the glue that holds the Kuchiki clan together right now, while your leader is on his way to his death, and your clan is the thing that holds the noble clans in balance. We are acting to upset that balance. You can form your own conclusions about who we are, that would want to do this, and I will not tell you what we hope to gain. It would be meaningless to you. Maybe you are wondering now if we plan to release you. Your fate is yet to be decided. Be calm. Be quiet. That is the best way to ensure your survival."

The voice went silent, leaving Tetsuya suspended in silence and an odd greyness.

_He said that I am in stasis…and I am sure that my reiatsu has been sealed. But…even if my reiatsu is sealed, it is still here, within my body. I can't move, but I may be able to use my natural ability to alter my cells so that my body will become a waterform._

Tetsuya took a steadying breath and focused deeply, willing his cells to change. For a time, he couldn't tell whether or not his plan had worked, but finally, he began to sense the other sources of water around him.

_Now that I am in this form, I should be able to escape. I can't do as I usually do, and make a new waterform, but if there is a source of water nearby, I should be able to shift my soul to it. I do feel sources of water…an apple, an insect of some kind. I also feel the presence of another body, one that is not moving, but stationary. It seems I may not be the only prisoner here. I wonder who else these people have captured._

Tetsuya continued to focus, scanning all around him until he found what seemed to be a cup of tea.

_I don't sense anyone in the room with us right now, but there maybe someone watching. Still, I have to do something. Maybe I can free their other prisoner._

Tetsuya turned his focus inward, onto the cells of his own body, using his trapped reiatsu to shift the cells into their watery state. A throb of relief passed through him as he felt the coolness of his waterform and turned his attention to the cup of tea that sat near him. The shift from his trapped body to the cup of tea was instantaneous. Tetsuya felt the heat of the liquid in the cup for a moment as he gathered himself, then let the cells of his body slowly expand to take on his normal size and shape. The teacup overflowed, and Tetsuya found himself spilling onto the floor, where he laid for a moment before being able to shift himself back to shinigami form.

_Thank kami that worked._

Tetsuya now laid on the floor beneath a desk, a short distance away from the examination table, where a large blob of water remained suspended. He lifted his head and looked around, quickly finding a second table that held the other restrained person. His eyes widened as he spotted a bright flash of ginger hair.

_Ichigo!_

He forced down an urge to rush to the Shiba leader's side, and instead, ran his eyes around the room, which looked to be some kind of laboratory.

_I don't want to think about what they plan to do to us. We have to get out of here, but…_

He looked up at Ichigo's bound form.

_I have to free him first._

Tetsuya crawled out from under the table, listening carefully for signs of anyone approaching as he hurried to Ichigo's side. He located the controls to the stasis field, then paused for a moment to issue a soft warning.

"It's me, Ichigo," he whispered, "It's Tetsuya. I am going to release the controls and free you, so please don't make a sound when I do."

He touched a button, turning off the restraining field, and watched as Ichigo blinked and sat up, adjusting to being able to move again. He slid off the examination table, giving Tetsuya a look of gratitude, then took Tetsuya's hand and led him to the lab room door.

"I don't know how you got free," Ichigo whispered, "but thanks, Tetsuya."

"Help me get us out of here and then thank me," Tetsuya whispered back.

Ichigo peeked through a pane of glass in the lab room door and nodded.

"I don't see any guards in the corridor," he breathed, "but it curves. We've got no choice but to go that way. But there are other rooms around here. I'm sure we'll find a way out, or at least somewhere to hide."

"I can help with that," Tetsuya informed him, "Although my reiatsu is sealed and I can't make waterforms, if I am touching you, I can change our cells to water, so that we can hide more easily. We need to try to avoid bright lights, so that corridor will be dangerous. We have to try to get outside, where it will be easier to hide."

"Sounds like a plan," Ichigo said approvingly, "Let's go!"

Tetsuya nodded and slipped a hand into Ichigo's, focusing until the color seemed to go out of their bodies, leaving them almost transparent. Ichigo marveled for a moment at how the forms were watery, but still held their shape.

"This is amazing!" he exclaimed softly, turning the handle of the door and slowly opening it.

The two crept out of the lab and started down the corridor, listening for any sound of voices or footsteps, but all seemed quiet as they made their way forward, pausing and listening at several of the doors, trying to enter, but finding all of them carefully locked. They caught their breath as a door opened, further down, and they slinked back in the other direction, heading past the lab and trying the opposite end of the corridor as the footsteps seemed to follow.

"They're probably going to the lab!" Tetsuya hissed, "We have to find a way out!"

They tried each door as they raced down the hallway, but each was locked, save for one that led to a dark storage room that held only some cleaning supplies, a mop and a bucket half-filled with dirty water. Tetsuya looked down at the bucket, grimacing.

"Oh man," Ichigo mused, following his gaze, "No way!"

"I don't think we have a choice," Tetsuya reasoned as the footsteps neared, "We have to hide in the bucket, using my ability. It's the only way!"

"Ugh!" Ichigo complained, but he accepted Tetsuya's hand, watching raptly as his friend touched the filthy water and carefully joined their waterform with it.

Within moments, the two had disappeared into the bucket, where they waited breathlessly. A short time later, the door slammed open and the light clicked on.

A tall man dressed in white looked around quickly, then turned back outside and shut the door.

"They're not in here!" he shouted.

"Well, they have to be somewhere," a second voice answered, "Keep looking!"

Within the bucket, Tetsuya connected with Ichigo's mind, instantly feeling that the Shiba heir had realized the same thing he had.

_The enemy that took us wasn't a rival clan at all! It was a quincy!_

XXXXXXXXXX

The door to Byakuya's cell opened and a youthful male attendant entered, carrying a tray of food. He approached the bed, where Byakuya sat with one hand bound to the steel rail at the head of his cot, and he set the tray on the table at the noble's bedside.

"Thank you," Byakuya said solemnly, earning a surprised look from the youth.

He colored and gave Byakuya a conflicted look.

"You are welcome, Captain Kuchiki," he answered.

The young man started to leave, but paused at the cell door.

"Captain?" he said more softly.

Byakuya looked back at him silently.

"I am…very sorry. I wish that…"

"Miki!" a guard scolded the boy, "You know you aren't allowed to become friendly with them. Give the other his food and get out of here!"

"Y-yes sir!" Miki said hastily, rushing out of Byakuya's cell and locking the door. He moved on to Nori's cell as the old man sat up and stretched.

"Thank you, my boy," he said kindly.

Miki bowed respectfully.

"You are welcome, sir," he answered in a formal tone.

He left the cell and started out of the cellblock.

"Is there nothing for Sousuke Aizen?" Byakuya asked the guard, glancing at Aizen's heavily bound form.

"Too dangerous," the guard answered tersely, "There's no way to feed him without endangering anyone doing the feeding. He doesn't need food anyway. None of you will, soon enough."

Byakuya's eyes closed for a moment at the cruelty in the words, and when they opened again, they focused on Aizen's bound form.

"I will feed him," Byakuya offered, "I am given a sentence of death anyway, so what do I have to lose?"

"I don't know why you want to bother…"

"There is no need to be cruel to a soul about to receive the ultimate punishment," Byakuya reasoned, "In fact, our laws require civil treatment of all prisoners."

"Whatever," the guard said off-handedly, "I guess it doesn't matter if he just kills you sooner."

The guard left his station and entered Byakuya's cell, where he detached the chain that bound him to the cot.

"What am I to feed him?" Byakuya asked.

The guard shrugged.

"I guess you're sharing yours."

Byakuya picked up his tray and followed as the guard led him into Aizen's cell, then fastened the end of the chain to the bars near Aizen's chair. He left the two in the cell and exited, locking the door behind him. Byakuya moved another chair so that he could sit comfortably in front of the other man, and he picked up the chopsticks, capturing a piece of meat from his plate and bringing it to Aizen's smiling lips.

"How very kind of you," Aizen commented, accepting the bite of food, "But then, you are not one who believes in cruelty for the sake of cruelty. Even the condemned gentleman must still be a gentleman, ne Byakuya?"

"I haven't many days left to live," Byakuya answered quietly, "but the ones I have will be lived honorably."

"And this will save your soul?" Aizen asked skeptically.

"This will set an example," Byakuya corrected him.

"And you think that these ones around you will become gentlemen too, and the world will be a better place, is that it?" Aizen asked sarcastically, "That is both foolish and pointless. Your example is wasted on these. You would be better off finding a way to escape so that someone like you stays here to guide others more directly."

"Says the man who wanted to control the world…" Byakuya said dryly, feeding Aizen another bite.

"Our worlds are corrupt," Aizen said, accepting the food and chewing slowly, "They won't change with the few like you setting the rare example."

"And the answer is to betray and kill? To bring more evil to the world?" Byakuya inquired, frowning, "It just makes more evil."

"It doesn't have to," Aizen posited, "You become violent, you kill to protect."

"But you weren't protecting anything but your own interests by betraying all of us and murdering the Central 46 councilors. You weren't planning to make the world better for us all by murdering a hundred thousand innocent people to make the king's key."

"Those were stepping stones to changing the world, Byakuya," Aizen explained, "I did betray my allies so that I could obtain the hogyoku. I needed the hogyoku to alter the Espadas so that I could defeat the Gotei 13 and make the king's key. I needed the key to reach the royal realm, and I would have had to slay the king to bring about change. But once that was done, I would have been free to rebuild a better world."

"A better world by whose definition?" Byakuya asked sternly, "What kind of world would a murderous, selfish egomaniac like yourself have created, if you had been given the chance? I have a hard time after the way you tormented my peasant sister and Renji, believing that life would have been better for peasants. And given the fact you wanted to destroy the military, I do not imagine it would have been better for them. Then, there are the noble houses, the ones whose elders make up the bulk of the Central 46 councilors. Would you have made a better life for them? I doubt it. That brings us back to you. You would have made a better world for yourself. You never cared about the fates of the rest of us."

"But I did," Aizen objected calmly, "I needed to break the backs of the Gotei and Central 46, and of the noble houses. But I only did so to do away with their corruption."

"Is this when you tell me a sad story about how the government and military somehow wronged you?" Byakuya asked dryly, "Save me your excuses. You were doing what you did for one reason and one purpose. You were rising to the top and taking control. That's all."

"I am sure that is what you see, but if you will look closer, you'll see more than that, Byakuya."

"Why try to take me in with your lies now?" Byakuya asked, taking a bite of the food for himself, "There is nothing to gain. Our fate is sealed. After we are presented to the districts, we are going to be executed. Why does it matter whether I believe you about something that means nothing anymore?"

"Isn't it a natural desire for any soul to be understood?" Aizen asked.

"You want me to understand you? Why? Sousuke Aizen said _follow me, but don't trust me_. He betrayed his own and scolded them for having faith in him."

"Exactly," Aizen said solemnly, "because someone has to make people see. It is pointless to put one's faith in another. That only ever weakens a soul by making it dependant. Souls become strong through conflict and danger, through the constant struggle to survive. In your heart, you know I'm right."

"But how does that justify what you did?" Byakuya demanded, "You preyed on honorable people…"

"I preyed on the weak," Aizen corrected him, "As the weak fall, the strong survive and grow stronger. It will make a stronger society in which all are struggling and striving."

Byakuya considered Aizen's words, his mind's eye focusing on a mental image of his late wife.

"So…because a soul might be weak, you think it does not contribute?" he asked, "What about things like kindness? Justice? Love? Those things are expressed through our treatment of those who are weaker than us…and I think there is value in those things. If there is no kindness, justice and love, there is nothing left but constant war. That is not the kind of world that I would want to live in, Sousuke Aizen."

Aizen went quiet for several minutes, simply watching as Byakuya fed him and took intermittent bites of the food on his tray, then shared the cups of tea and water that had been provided.

"That's enough," the guard said finally, entering the cell and retrieving the end of the chain Byakuya was attached to.

He led Byakuya back to his cell and chained him to the cot, then returned to his post. The noble laid down on his bed, gazing calmly up at the ceiling and breathing slowly. He had nearly fallen asleep when he heard Aizen's low voice reach him once more.

"You have given me a lot to think about, Byakuya. Thank you."


End file.
